<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>Sabbatical by theWholeShebang</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29051760">Sabbatical</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/theWholeShebang/pseuds/theWholeShebang'>theWholeShebang</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Brand new day [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Fate: The Winx Saga (TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Dark, Dawn - Freeform, Dubious Consent, F/F, F/M, Mind Control, Sharing a Bed, Slow Burn</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-01-28</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-03-06</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 06:55:54</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Not Rated</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>11,186</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29051760</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/theWholeShebang/pseuds/theWholeShebang</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Farah does not know who she can trust. But the enemy of your enemy is your friend, right? So she decided to trust Dawn, a disgraced Empath.</p><p>I had this story in my head, had to write it down. What really happened when Rosalind had the power 16 years ago?</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Andreas/OC, Farah Dowling/OC</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Brand new day [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/2188926</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>73</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>122</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>The voice was in her head.<br/>Loud and clear.</p><p>Rosalind is going to snap your neck.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I did not sleep on this or think it through, but then again neither did the screen writers.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Farah turned around. She did not want Rosalind to see how hurt she was. How much power she still had over Farah. She wanted some distance between herself and Rosalind.</p><p>The voice was in her head.<br/>Loud and clear.</p><p><em>Rosalind is going to snap your neck</em>.</p><p>The voice was somehow familiar. Farah trusted it instinctively. Yet, there was a split second of doubt, because she could not believe that Rosalind would kill her.<br/>She wasted precious seconds and by the time she activated her magic, Rosalind’s magic had already taken over her body, She felt herself get lifted off the ground and she felt Rosalind’s magic taking over. Then she felt something else, something light. Then everything went dark.</p><p>—</p><p>‘Don’t move’, the voice sounded urgent. ‘She snapped your neck. I can’t heal it on my own, I need your magic. But don’t move, you’ll make it worse.’<br/>Farah was aware about some moist ground under her, but nothing else. It seemed like she was floating on a cloud of moist ground in eternal blackness.<br/>She felt someone penetrating her being. It was an unfamiliar feeling, somehow a little bit like when she, Rosalind and Ben had bundled their powers to destroy Astra Dell. The other person was now gently pulling on her magic and then she felt a strong surge of magic healing her neck.<br/>With the same snap that mended all her nerves back together, also came an intense pain. Farah inhaled sharply and then felt her pain being sucked away. An empath. Her mind was slow, she felt like she was missing things. Empaths were quite rare and she was pretty sure that the voice did not belong to any of the three empaths that were currently at Alfea.</p><p>‘You can open your eyes now’, said the voice. Farah looked around and with a bit of panic she realised that she was laying in a grave.<br/>‘It’s okay, you are still alive’, came the voice again, seemingly tuned in on her emotions.<br/>With some effort Farah focused on the person hovering right ahead of her.<br/>She had not seen the face in fifteen years and yet she recognised the icy eyes and the pale face.<br/>‘You’, she gasped.<br/>The woman looked grimmer than the smiling school girl Farah remembered teaching all those years ago.<br/>‘Yes, it’s me. The Alfea Murderess.’</p><p>—</p><p>‘We need to move away from here.’, the woman spoke.<br/>Farah blinked, almost dying had made her mind sluggish.<br/>‘I don’t understand… Dawn, what? I.. How did you get out of prison?’<br/>‘I wasn’t in prison, I was in Rosalind’s personal dungeon.’<br/>That did not really answer the question, Farah thought. Dawn was pulling Farah out of the grave now.<br/>‘Look, I know you have a lot of questions. I know you have no reason to trust me. Quite frankly, I have no reason to trust you either. Just know that Rosalind tried to kill you. We need to leave Alfea. It is not safe here.’</p><p>Farah was standing now. She felt a bit shaky and overwhelmed, but not as weak as she might have expected.</p><p>Just like fifteen years ago, she felt disgust and disbelief at the sight of Dawn. It was hard to believe that this woman had killed three students of Alfea. Yet, Farah clearly remembered finding the three bodies and Dawn right there, her body splattered in blood, a smile on her face.<br/>She still had trouble understanding why one of Alfea’s most promising fairies had snapped and murdered three innocent children, but it had been war. People lost it.<br/>Farah had agreed with the rest of the magical community that years of nursing the wounded had taken a toll on Dawn.<br/>The murder case had been high profile. Dawn’s family had already been known to the gossip pages and it was with a sigh of relief that the young woman was locked up for life.<br/>And yet, Farah could not help think that the girl with the white blond hair and the soft clear voice could have had a much brighter future if the world had not asked too much of her too soon.</p><p>‘Come on, Farah. We need to leave. We are still inside the fucking barrière.’, Dawn looked at her with some hurt in her icy eyes. ‘Don’t be afraid of me, please.’</p><p>Dawn’s empath abilities made it harder for Farah to make up her mind. She liked to keep her feelings to herself.</p><p>‘Listen, I have been trapped for fifteen years. I have barely any magic inside me right now, I am beyond weak. You can overpower me, whenever you want, but we need to leave. The moment Rosalind’s henchmen find us, we are both dead.’</p><p>Farah nodded. Dawn was making sense.</p><p>‘Where do we go?’</p><p>Dawn shrugged. ‘I don’t know, maybe we should take up on Rosalind’s offer to take a sabbatical in the mountains.’</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Don’t know where I’m going with this exactly. I have enough plot to at least give some background to Farah and Rosalind, might even find some inspiration to continue with my take on season 2. Honestly no idea, but please let me know what you think!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>She was tossed away like some toy. She was of no use to Rosalind anymore. That was not only dangerous, but also hurtful.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It had taken them all day to find shelter in one of the old cabins in the mountains. Even though the walk should have taken less than three hours, it had taken Dawn all day.</p>
<p>She had not been kidding, when she had told Farah that she was weak.<br/>
Farah remembered Dawn all those years ago. After every battle, the woman would tend to the wounded. Her Empath abilities were a welcome breather for the wounded specialists and fairies. She remembered how Dawn would not rest until every one of the patients was looked after. She was up for nights, only going on by sheer stubbornness.<br/>
It was the same stubbornness that helped Dawn up the mountains today.<br/>
Farah felt a bit uneasy. Dawn was twenty years younger than she was and yet she was the one helping the younger woman up the hills. A face that had once been tanned and freckled was now pale and sweaty. </p>
<p>With Dawn gasping for breath, conversation was out of bounds. It left Farah alone with her thoughts. They were not happy thoughts. She was worried. Worried about her school, about her students. She also felt uncomfortable about Dawn. She either was one of the most despicable murderers of her time or they had gotten it horribly wrong all those years ago. Farah did not know which thought sickened her more.<br/>
But above all she felt hurt and shocked. Rosalind had tried to kill her. Rosalind. Her mentor. Her friend. She knew Rosalind was an extremist. They did not agree on the number of casualties, but this, this coup by Rosalind, it was more. She felt used like a pawn in a bigger game she did not understand. She knew she should be angry and worried, but she just felt so hurt. Farah thought that Rosalind had cared about her, seen something in her, but it did not seem that way. She was tossed away like some toy. She was of no use to Rosalind anymore. That was not only dangerous, but also hurtful. </p>
<p>When they had finally settled in the cabin, dusk had already fallen. They did not have any food with them but an empty stomach was the least of Farah’s worries. She found some herbs outside and used her magic for some clean water.<br/>
Tea would do. </p>
<p>Inside Dawn was slumped against the wall, her eyes closed. Farah observed the woman. The girl had looked twenty five when she started school at sixteen and she still looked twenty five today, almost twenty years later.<br/>
Farah remembered teaching Dawn. She had seemed older than the carefree students in her class. Wise beyond her years. It was no wonder with the youth she had had. Dawn stirred, when Farah put the tea in front of her. </p>
<p>‘You must be burning with questions.’</p>
<p>Farah nodded. She did have a lot of questions. But she looked at Dawn and her teacher instincts kicked in.</p>
<p>‘I do. But you must sleep now.’ </p>
<p>Dawn looked like she wanted to resist but she was not up for a fight. </p>
<p>‘Let’s get you to bed’, continued the teacher, wondering when she had last used that line. She looked around the cabin. It was really small. Just a table, two chairs, a chest and one bed. </p>
<p>‘You take the bed’, muttered Dawn. ‘I can sleep anywhere. I could sleep right here, right now.’</p>
<p>Farah shook her head. ‘None of that now, I don’t think I could sleep anyway.’</p>
<p>Dawn had too much pride to allow Farah to tuck her in. </p>
<p>Once she was settled in bed, she looked at Farah. She could not read the expression on Dawn’s face. </p>
<p>‘Sorry, I have to ask. But, uhm, my father. Councilman Duncan, is he…’ Dawn swallowed. ‘Is he…?’</p>
<p>‘O’, understanding dawned on Farah. She felt sorry for the woman, she seemed to have been out of touch with the world since her imprisonment. <br/>‘Dawn, I’m sorry. He passed. Almost six years ago I think.’</p>
<p>Dawn nodded, she seemed to have expected this answer. A tear rolled down her cheek. </p>
<p>‘Was it natural?’</p>
<p>‘It was old age. The stress of politics and…’ Farah paused, regretting her wording already. ‘...everything else. It had taken its toll. He just went.’</p>
<p>Dawn’s eyes were closed, but Farah knew she was still listening. </p>
<p>‘It was a beautiful ceremony. People from all the realms came. Everyone was grateful for his service. He was still a respected man, even after everything. He was admired.’</p>
<p>She cringed at her own words. She had not meant the trial, she had meant the bad publicity the Council had gotten after the battles with the Burned Ones. </p>
<p>Dawn had buried her face in her pillow. Exhaustion took over in a minute. </p>
<p>Leaving Farah on her own with her thoughts.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Note sure why my chapters are so short. Please let me know what you think!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter 3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>‘Did you do it?’. The question was out of Farah’s mouth before she knew it. She turned around, to face Dawn. Thankfully her neck was once again capable of that movement.</p><p>Dawn seemed lost in thought for a second, her fingers fumbling with her bottom lip.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Sunlight hit her face and with a stir Farah woke. She immediately realised two things. One, that she must have fallen asleep at some point, even though she had spent most of the night mulling things over and over. And two, falling asleep on a chair with your head on the dining table was a very bad idea when your neck was snapped the previous day.<br/>She moaned. Her whole neck was stiff and itchy. Come to think of it, neither her back nor her cheek pressed in the wooden table were feeling great either.</p><p>‘Told you to take the bed.’</p><p>Although her tone was teasing, Farah could tell that Dawn was almost apprehensive.</p><p>The woman was sitting cross-legged in the bundle of blankets. Her hair was tousled and she was still in the white robe she was sentenced in. It hung off of one of her shoulders.</p><p>White was the mandatory colour of their court. Innocent until proven guilty. It was the tradition of the Court to have all the convicted have the same clothes. Nothing to distract them from justice. Farah wondered if the old traditions had failed Dawn.</p><p>Dawn patted the spot beside her. ‘If you come over here I can help you with your neck.’</p><p>Farah shook her head in a movement she immediately regretted. ‘I’m fine.’</p><p>‘Neither of us is fine. I can feel your discomfort from over here.’</p><p>‘I hate Empaths.’, groaned Farah, making her way over to the bed. ‘There is this thing called privacy, you know.’</p><p>‘Spoke the mind fairy.’</p><p>Farah settled on the bed. Dawn scooted over to make space. Farah could still feel her warmth on the mattress.</p><p>Dawn rested her hands on Farah’s neck. Unwillingly goosebumps rose on her skin. The memory of her neck being snapped the previous day was still fresh and it was not comfortable to have a known murderer wrap her hands around your neck.<br/>She immediately felt guilty because she knew Dawn would feel her fear.</p><p>Dawn did not comment on it. ‘There is some tension left, the nerves are still tender. I can heal it, but it will drain most of today’s magic.’</p><p>Farah did not have to be an Empath to know that Dawn was frustrated.</p><p>‘How are <em>you</em> feeling?’</p><p>‘Like shit. I have been free for five days now and I can feel my magic growing back but it is still so little. Yesterday completely drained me.’</p><p>‘Well, you did save my life.’</p><p>Dawn did not acknowledge the comment. ‘My muscles are not thanking me for walking up a mountain after fifteen years of disuse.’</p><p>‘I will take care of the food and the cleaning today’, Farah spoke, wondering where Dawn was kept all those years. ‘You just rest.’</p><p>‘Let me fix that neck of you first.’</p><p>Farah closed her eyes as she let Dawn do her magic. Soft mumbling in ancient languages droned in her ears and then her neck was loose again.</p><p>She stayed in her place. Still sitting with her back towards Dawn.</p><p>‘Did you do it?’. The question was out of Farah’s mouth before she knew it. She turned around, to face Dawn. Thankfully her neck was once again capable of that movement.</p><p>Dawn seemed lost in thought for a second, her fingers fumbling with her bottom lip.</p><p>‘I did not <em>not</em> do it.’, she spoke with a pained expression. ‘But it was Rosalind. She made me do it.’</p><p>Farah let out a small sigh. She had been expecting an answer like that.</p><p>Dawn turned around so she was facing Farah. ‘Shouldn’t you make a connection with my mind, to make sure I’m telling the truth?’</p><p>Farah studied Dawn’s face. The black circles under her eyes, she sensed the tension in her body, the pain etched in her face.<br/>If Dawn was telling the truth she had been through hell and back. She could do with some kindness. She figured it would make Dawn feel better if she would listen to the story without checking her mind for untruthfulness.<br/>Besides, Dawn was a trained Mind Fairy with -by the looks of it- some tricks from Rosalind up her sleeve. If she wanted to feed Farah lies, she probably could.</p><p>Farah shook her head. ‘Just tell me what happened.’</p><p>Dawn’s brows furrowed in confusion. ‘You sure?’</p><p>Farah nodded. ‘Just tell me what really happened all those years ago. If you fill in my gaps in a way that makes sense, I will know that you are telling the truth.’</p><p>Dawn nodded. She looked a bit nervous. Her shoulders rose as she took a deep breath. She let the air out with a little laugh.</p><p>‘Haven’t told anyone this.’ She said a little apologetically. ‘Suppose I start at the beginning?’</p><p>‘That is always a good place to start.’, agreed Farah.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Thanks everyone for the kudos and comments. They really made my day!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Chapter 4</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Farah was baffled. She thought she knew what Rosalind was up to. She liked to think that Rosalind had trusted her. That she was her confidant.<br/>But it seemed like the woman was full of dark secrets. It seemed like she had not known Rosalind at all.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Longer chapter with a lot of exposure and not so much Farah, that will change next chapter!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>You could hear a pin drop in the small cabin. Dust was floating around in the morning sun. The setting was quite serene and yet Farah could feel her heart thump in her chest.<br/>
With a small cough Dawn cleared her throat and started to tell her story.</p><p>‘You know that Rosalind was studying the boundaries of magic. She was interested in more archaic magic. I think most of all she wanted to learn about fusing magic together. Channeling your magic with other fairies and stuff like that.’, Dawn began, staring at a spot over Farah’s shoulder. ‘It was magic that was thought to be lost right?’</p><p>She paused and looked at Farah who nodded in agreement. </p><p>‘Well, Rosalind did not think that that magic was lost. She knew that there were some fairies that still had the power to channel emotions.’</p><p>‘Empaths.’, realised Farah. </p><p>Dawn nodded. ‘Rosalind figured that since emotions and magic are so closely connected, the technique behind emotion channeling was the same as sharing magic.’</p><p>Dawn was fumbling with her bottom lip again. ‘For this thought experiment Rosalind needed an Empath. It was one the few magical abilities she did not have, because you have to be born with it...’ </p><p>Farah nodded. Empaths were rare. They had this special way of channeling other people's emotions that could not be learned. She realised that it was quite smart of Rosalind to realise this all. </p><p>‘Rosalind, she approached me.’ Dawn continued, her eyes focused on some spot to Farah’s left. ‘I was really flattered, I was only a first year. She was honest at first. Told me that she wanted to do some experiments with me. She told me that I could make a real meaningful contribution to the war effort. She told me that I would make my father proud. A chance to redeem ourselves…’</p><p>Once again Rosalind proved that she was very good at manipulating people. Just before Dawn started her first year her mother was admitted to a mental hospital. It had been a very public event, because of her father’s prominent role in the Council. That his beautiful and much younger wife had gone crazy and was often wandering around the streets of Linphea, in various states of undress had been big news.  Well, it had been just the light mean spirited news the papers had been gasping for in those dark times.<br/>
She remembered the article published on the same day that Dawn started school. It had wondered if Councilman Duncan could take care of the realms, if he could not even take care of his family. Whispers followed Dawn from the first day at Alfea. The young girl had seemed unbothered, head held high, proud and full of love for both her parents. But of course it had bothered her. And of course, Rosalind had played that weakness. </p><p> </p><p>‘I agreed. I told her I would help her with her experiments. I did it willingly.’ The guilt was clear in Dawn’s voice, almost as if she needed Farah to understand that she was to blame. ‘I agreed to all of it, she didn’t force me.’ </p><p>‘You were sixteen.’</p><p>Dawn scoffed and went on with her story. </p><p>‘We worked on ancient old magic. She wanted to know how Empaths channel emotions. How we kept that connection dormant, even when we were not actually practising magic. She wanted to try to push those channels to their limits. She wanted to use those channels to move magic around.’</p><p>Dawn looked at Farah with a pained expression. ‘It was exciting. I felt so special. I did not realise how she would use it. And once I did, it was too late.’</p><p>Underneath all the anger, Farah felt some admiration for Rosalind. She was one of the greatest thinkers of her time. </p><p>‘If an Empath can guide pain or fear away, can they also guide away magic?’</p><p>Farah was listening intently. If that was possible, it was groundbreaking. It meant that some of their most elemental rules of magic did not work anymore. One’s magic was their own. Right?</p><p>‘We can.’, admitted Dawn. ‘Empaths can steal magic. I did it yesterday, to heal your neck. I didn’t save your life. You saved your own life.’</p><p>Farah could see that Dawn did not love this ability of hers, but she was actually really intrigued by this possibility. Then she remembered Astra Dell and the nasty side of combining powers. </p><p>‘How does it feel?’, she asked, wondering if it had felt as good as when she had combined her magic with Rosalind and Ben. </p><p>‘It feels good.’, admitted Dawn. ‘It feels really good. Like you’re fuller of life. That there is more magic than you can possibly spend. Until you remember what you are doing.’</p><p>Farah nodded, she understood better than anyone how that felt. </p><p>‘First, we used it for good. I would help Rosalind with the interrogations. I would steal their magic and she would penetrate their weakened minds.’</p><p>Dawn looked guilty as she continued. ‘Rosalind wanted more. She trained me to steal magic from other fairies and then channel it to her. I should have stopped her. I know. I tried. But Rosalind…’</p><p>Dawn shuddered with such force that Farah could feel it. </p><p>Farah was baffled. She thought she knew what Rosalind was up to. She liked to think that Rosalind had trusted her. That she was her confidant.<br/>
But it seemed like the woman was full of dark secrets. It seemed like she had not known Rosalind at all.<br/>
She also felt guilty. Dawn had been a student at the school. The staff should have protected her.</p><p>‘What did Rosalind do?’, she asked with a slight apprehension for the answer. </p><p>Dawn stayed quiet. Farah grabbed the woman’s hand and rubbed soothing circles with her hand. She noticed how clammy Dawn was. </p><p>‘She would punish me. If I didn’t do what she asked.’, Dawn said finally and even though they were sitting so close to each other that their knees were touching, Farah still had to strain to hear it. ‘She would just fuck with my mind you know. All professor Harvey’s concoctions were tested on me. Also the Lata potion, he made for you at Astra Dell.’</p><p>Farah knew that Ben had made a potion for the day at Astra Dell. It had widened their channels. Making it easier for Ben, Rosalind and herself to fuse their powers together. She also knew that Ben would never harm a student on purpose.</p><p>‘Before he got the potion right, he got it wrong many times. It didn’t just widen my channels, it pulled them fully open. Like there was no filter whatsoever.’ Dawn almost flinched. ‘When my channels were widened, she would lock me up for hours with suffering animals. Sometimes she would kill the animals herself. I felt all their spirits leave their bodies.’ </p><p>Farah stared at Dawn with an open mouth. She had no idea of the horrors that occurred at Alfea all those years ago. </p><p>‘In the beginning I would do anything to avoid one of those nights.’, Dawn admitted, cheeks burning with guilt. ‘I would steal all the magic she wanted.’</p><p>Farah squeezed Dawn’s hand. ‘Why didn’t you tell me or one of the other teachers?’</p><p>Dawn stared at her, like she could not believe what Farah had said. ‘Because you knew.’, she said, the accusation clear in her voice. ‘You must have known what she was doing. Professors Harvey’s potions, the experiments. You were always with her. And you knew about Andreas.’</p><p>Farah listened with growing guilt. Memories starting flowing back. She had not known about Rosalind’s sick experiments. She really had not. But at the mention of Andreas something stirred in her memory.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I did enjoy the world building more than I thought and might have explained to much. Also Wiki seems to know for sure that Rosalind is a mind Fairy. Why is that, is it mentioned in the series? Why not an air Fairy? What do you guys thinks?</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Chapter 5</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>But in hindsight, she really had not been paying attention. In her defense, she had been so busy back then. Her days were filled with teaching together with Andreas, Ben and Saul, her evenings with training together with Andreas, Ben and Saul, her weekends were filled with little trips together with Andreas, Ben and Saul. It had just been Andreas, Ben and Saul. Working for Rosalind. Rosalind took care of everything else and she did not even question it.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Thank you all so much for the nice comments, they really kept me going during the writer's block I had. I love the fact that you all seemed to like Dawn. Thank you guy so much!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>At the height of the war. When there were more battles than Farah cared to remember, it had just been the four of them. Farah, Saul, Ben and Andreas. They had known each other since school and had been fighting together for almost as long.<br/>Everyone else had been background characters. Of course Ben had a wife and later a son and daughter, but it rarely came up. Saul was full of stories of women he had been seeing, even though none of them were ever seen by anyone else. And Andreas. Andreas had been seeing someone. They had teased him about it. He had been quite smitten and shy about her for a while.</p><p>‘You were Andreas' girlfriend.’, Farah gasped, suddenly remembering how she and Saul had snickered like teenagers whenever Andreas would go talk to Dawn in the field hospital. It had been a fun break in all the grimness. Something harmless.</p><p>Dawn did not acknowledge Farah’s comment. ‘It started in my final year. Rosalind called me difficult. By then her nights of punishment were not scaring me as bad anymore. You get used to everything. I refused to steal magic. I refused to comply in her experiments. She was fed up to me, we were close to a breakthrough, I knew it and she knew it. I was resisting as much as I could. She needed some stronger means of control. That was when she gave me to Andreas.’</p><p>Farah was at a loss for words. She remembered that Andreas was seeing Dawn. It was not even a secret. She had witnessed it. She had approved of it even. Had been happy for Andreas. But Dawn had only been seventeen. She must have known that at the time and yet she could not remember having a problem with it. She had been okay with her student dating a member of faculty.<br/>She could say that it had been a different time, that it had been war, that it had been a good laugh for her and Saul, that Dawn had been wiser than her seventeen years. But nothing, nothing could justify that Andreas had been dating a student. A minor at that. What had she been thinking at the time?<br/>Something even more horrible crossed her mind. Did Dawn say that Rosalind had given her to Andreas?</p><p>Her mouth was dry when she asked her question: ‘how do mean you were given to Andreas. It was consensual , right?’<br/>Farah noticed how her voice cracked at the word right.</p><p>Dawn stared at her like she had grown an extra head.<br/>‘You must have known’, she stammered. ‘I knew Rosalind was keeping the nature of the experiments secret. But you knew that she was working with me, didn’t you?’</p><p>Farah shook her head with regret. ‘I really didn’t, Dawn.’</p><p>Dawn’s eyes filled with water and the guilt in Farah’s chest grew.</p><p>‘But you saw me with Andreas.’ There was some urgency in her voice. ‘They locked me up in the dungeons for ages. I disappeared for such long times. Besides, all Alfea knew the rumours…’</p><p>‘What rumours?’</p><p>‘I am into girls.’, admitted Dawn. ‘Everyone was talking about it, I dated Vera, before she graduated.'<br/>Farah remembered the specialist who had been a year above Dawn. She maybe even vaguely remembered seeing Dawn and Vera together a lot. But in hindsight, she really had not been paying attention. In her defense, she had been so busy back then. Her days were filled with teaching together with Andreas, Ben and Saul, her evenings with training together with Andreas, Ben and Saul, her weekends were filled with little trips together with Andreas, Ben and Saul. It had just been Andreas, Ben and Saul. Working for Rosalind. Rosalind took care of everything else and she did not even question it.</p><p>Farah felt like someone was flattening her heart in her chest. There was this stinging pain in her heart. What had Rosalind done to Dawn?<br/>She knew Rosalind tried to kill her. She knew Rosalind had once murdered a whole village. Yet, the fact that Rosalind basically had pimped this girl out, still managed to shock her.</p><p>‘I should have known’, she whispered, trying to keep the tears at bay, because it was not her place to cry. ‘I should have known, but I didn’t. I am so sorry, Dawn.’</p><p>A little tentatively she swept her thumb over Dawn’s cheek , swiping away the tears that had escaped. ‘I did not know.’ She admitted. ‘I wish I had, I would have helped you.’</p><p>At this revelation, Dawn burst into proper tears. ‘Fuck. I really thought you knew. I thought you did this to me too.’</p><p>Without thinking Farah wrapped her arms tightly around the sobbing woman and held her close. Once Dawn’s face was hidden against her chest, she let her own tears flow.</p><p>She mumbled her apologies over and over until Dawn’s tears had dried.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>So I know this was a lot of dialogue and exposure but that is going to change next chapter. Let me know what you guys think about my take on the past.<br/>I had a question for you guys. First, what kind of fairy do you think Rosalind is? Wiki said a mind fairy but when I watched it, I thought an air fairy with the lightning and all?</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Chapter 6</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>‘I can’t.’, Farah said. ‘I would be as bad as Andreas.’</p><p>Dawn furrowed her eyebrows. ‘No you’re not.’, she spoke softly but confidently. ‘I am saying yes.’</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I'm sorry for the delay guys, thought I had already put this chapter up. Enjoy and let me know what you think!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>After a while Dawn looked up and saw that Farah was crying too. </p><p>‘It wasn’t that bad.’, consoled Dawn, looking startled at the sight of Farah’s tears. ‘I mean, with Andreas.’</p><p>Farah felt Dawn’s hand rubbing comfortingly over her back. ‘I didn’t want it, no. And Andreas, you know he can be quite short fused, right?’ </p><p>Dawn looked at Farah, as if checking that she knew the same Andreas as she had. </p><p>Farah nodded. She had loved Andreas, but he did have a nasty side. A side she would not have liked to see him use on a much younger girl. </p><p>‘But I think he did care about me.’</p><p>She seemed bothered by Farah’s tears. ‘Don’t cry.’, Dawn said. She looked a lot lighter than she had an hour before. Like a weight had lifted off her shoulders. ‘Please Farah.’</p><p>Farah was surprised when Dawn pressed a tender kiss on her temple. ‘I am just happy that you did not know. I thought you were okay with it.’, she explained softly, sounding genuine. </p><p>Another kiss, on her wet cheek this time. ‘I am just relieved that you did not do it. I thought you had betrayed me as well.’</p><p>And then, with the confidence only an Empath reading the other person could have, Dawn placed her lips on Farah’s.  </p><p>Dawn’s lips were incredibly soft on her own and a little gasp of surprise and pleasure escaped Farah’s mouth. She could feel Dawn’s lips smiling against her own but she still pulled away. </p><p>‘I can’t.’, she said. ‘I would be as bad as Andreas.’</p><p>Dawn furrowed her eyebrows. ‘No you’re not.’, she spoke softly but confidently. ‘I am saying yes.’</p><p>That was a world of difference and even though Farah still felt the guilt clenching in her chest, she welcomed Dawn’s kiss this time. </p><p>The warm and soft lips on her own, pushing against her so hard Farah could feel the dry cracks on Dawn’s lips.<br/>
Then something wet as Dawn softly sucked on Farah’s bottom lip. Dawn’s hand on her back and another one on her shoulder, pulling her closer until their bodies were as close as could be.<br/>
With a little sigh Farah opened her mouth, allowing Dawn full entrance. It was a little like Dawn was claiming her body, but Farah was not complaining. There was this need inside of her to show Dawn that she did care. That she respected this woman and her incredibly rough journey. Besides, it felt really good. Dawn’s body was warm and so very soft.<br/>
Dawn was on top of her now, gently but urgently pushing Farah into the mattress. Then it dawned on Farah what they were doing and she felt guilt bubbling up.<br/>
Apparently Dawn felt it too as she stopped her lips trailing from Farah’s mouth to her ear and looked into the woman’s eyes.<br/>
‘What’s the matter?’, she questioned, a little out of breath and Farah felt something tingling deep inside her belly.<br/>
Farah shook her head. ‘I should not be doing this. Rosalind used you. Andreas used you. I won’t do that to you.’<br/>
Dawn looked at her with a confident smile and suddenly Fаrah could see the teenager in her face again, the girl that had taken on the school boldly, no matter what other students were saying about her behind her back.<br/>
‘But you like me.’<br/>
It was not a question. It was confidence.<br/>
‘And I like you. A lot.’<br/>
Farah gathered her thoughts for a moment as she stared at the ceiling. It had been a while since she had been with a woman. She would never allow herself to be as vulnerable as she had been with Rosalind, but sometimes the body needed some relief. Dawn would be exactly the kind of woman she would go for, but how could she do that to Dawn after everything Andreas had done. The last days had been a whirlwind, Dawn had saved her life. Emotions were high and she was a little confused.<br/>
Dawn had settled beside her on the mattress. She was laying on her side, one arm underneath her as she was intently studying Farah’s face.<br/>
‘I have always liked you’, spoke Dawn. ‘From all the people at Alfea, you never treated me differently because of my mom. Or my dad. You just saw me.’<br/>
It sounded nice but it was not all true. She had seen Dawn, the student. The promising student who had been more than just the sum of her parents. But she had not seen Dawn, the subject of Rosalind’s studies. She had seen Dawn, the hospital fairy with an incredible bedside manner, but she had not seen Dawn under control of Andreas. She had not even noticed that Dawn had disappeared for long stretches of time.</p><p>Honestly, she had been tricked by Rosalind. She had been fooled by Andreas. She really did not have the human knowledge Dawn was giving her credits for.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I am shamelessly enjoying writing this pairing, hope you guys like it too.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Chapter 7</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>‘It was definitely Rosalind’s idea.’, stated Dawn, watching Farah’s reactions closely. ‘She had been threatening something like that for a while. She knew that my body was the last thing I still owned. She was in my mind constantly. She had claimed all of my time. By giving me to Andreas she stole my nights too...’</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Sorry it took me so long, but as a little consolation, this chapter is longer. I don't really know what kind of warning I should add, but just so you know Andreas' and Dawn's relationship is not pretty.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The sun was past her highest point and even though there was still a lot to discuss between Dawn and Farah -not in the least the confusing kiss they had shared- there was the more urgent matter of their empty stomachs.<br/>
Both fairies were skilled enough to gather the most basic of meals around the cabin and for now it would suffice, but they really could do with some supplies. Dawn was still in her court robes and Farah would not mind a fresh change of clothes either. Her pristine clothing did not fare too well after laying in a grave.<br/>
They ate their cooked mushrooms with no seasoning in silence, sitting at both ends of the table. The bland and slimy taste reminded Farah of her schooldays. When they were on training weekends, they would have to cook with whatever they could find in the forest. As soon as they graduated, Andreas had declared that as nonsense and carried a small bag of herbs and pepper with him to spice up the roots and mushrooms they found in the forest. Andreas had loved their little exploring missions. Just the four of them, in the woods, gathering evidence and fighting foes.<br/>
Farah let out a sigh, she did not miss the war, but she missed the camaraderie. Just the four of them against the baddies. It had been so clear.<br/>
There was more to Dawn’s story, Farah knew, but she did not know if she was ready to hear it. The sun was shining in bright beams now and inside, with a little fire crackling in the fireplace, it was really comfortable, even though the mountain air was cold.</p><p>Farah’s mind was with Andreas. She knew he had a temper. She even knew about his bloodlust. Yet, she had trouble understanding why he would pursue a relationship with Dawn if she had not been consenting. Had he just been following orders? Doing everything what Rosalind asked. She would have thought that even Andreas would have been too proud to do that. She did not understand. She felt like she did not know her friends anymore.</p><p>Dawn was watching Farah’s face intently. ‘What has gotten you so upset?’, she questioned.</p><p>Farah grimaced. Both her thoughts and the fact that Dawn was able to read her so easily, were making her uncomfortable. </p><p>‘Andreas.’, she confessed softly, knowing that Dawn could literally feel the sadness radiating off of her. ‘I just don’t understand why he would do that. Just because Rosalind asked.’</p><p>‘O.’ Dawn stayed silent for a while. </p><p>‘Was it Rosalind’s idea or was Andreas truly in love with you?’, wondered Farah.</p><p>‘It was definitely Rosalind’s idea.’, stated Dawn, watching Farah’s reactions closely. ‘She had been threatening something like that for a while. She knew that my body was the last thing I still owned. She was in my mind constantly. She had claimed all of my time. By giving me to Andreas she stole my nights too...’</p><p>‘And Andreas?’, questioned Farah, sitting on the edge of her seat. ‘Did he enjoy this uhm arrangement?’</p><p>Dawn seemed to mull this question over. ‘I think he wanted to.’ Her voice sounded almost regretful.  ‘He wanted us to be like husband and wife. But he got really angry when I could not give him what he asked. He became more controlling. He wanted obedience.’</p><p>It did not take much of Farah’s imagination to believe that Andreas could be controlling. His obsession with sticking to orders had been known to her. </p><p>‘In the end, he barely let me leave my chambers.’, spoke Dawn, her voice raw. ‘Rosalind was okay with that, I was at her disposal whenever she wanted. If I resisted… Well, Andreas would take care of that.’</p><p>Her light eyes bored into Farah’s. ‘But I was still resisting. I promise you I was.’</p><p>Farah rested her hand awkwardly on the table, not sure if she should comfort Dawn. This was exactly why she knew that kissing Dawn had been a bad idea. Everything felt awkward now. Even though Dawn’s confidence and resilience also stirred something deep inside Farah’s chest.</p><p>Dawn seemed lost in the past for a moment. Farah quite understood, even though it all happened over a decade ago, there were still things that must be unclear to Dawn. </p><p>‘But then we had our son. Rosalind was over the moon. It was a chance to control us both.’</p><p>Farah’s mouth fell open. ‘Sky is your son.’, she realized out loud.</p><p>Something changed in Dawn’s face, it softened making her look years younger. ‘Is that his name?’, she questioned. Her eyes glittered with tears as she tried her son’s name for the first time. ‘Sky. They never told me.’</p><p>Farah felt both dumb and baffled at the same time. With all the information she had now, it made sense that Andreas’ kid had been Dawn’s as well, but Andreas had said that it was a baby from a relationship with someone in the first world. Andreas told them that Sky’s mother had died during labour. Stupidly, she had believed him, not knowing that Sky’s mother was held captive in the dungeons of Alfea.</p><p>‘Rosalind knew that I would do everything for our son.’, explained Dawn. ‘She would only let me see him if I helped her.’ </p><p>Farah watched as an even deeper sense of horror settled in her stomach. How could she never have seen how sick Rosalind was?</p><p>‘Sky.’, Dawn tried the name again. Her mind was obviously miles away. ‘He had the softest skin.’ She smiled. ‘And he smelled so good.’</p><p>Farah looked around and grabbed the cutting board they had used for cooking. She swiped her palm over it, wiping the dirt away. Then she used her powers to imprint an image of Sky on the board.<br/>
She looked at it and Sky’s picture stared back at her. Her mind was strong and the picture looked real and vibrant. She knew Sky through and through and it showed on the detailed picture. </p><p>‘Here.’, she spoke softly as she handed Dawn the cutting board.</p><p>Dawn stared at the image of her son. Her eyes briefly darted over to Farah, acknowledging the other woman, but then they focussed on Sky again. </p><p>Her eyes were drinking in his image, her finger slowly tracing the outline of his face. </p><p>The pure look of love on Dawn’s face stirred some longing inside Farah. She cared deeply for each and every one of her students and she loved Sky, Sam and Terra to bits,  but she had never ever felt this primal love for another person the way that it showed on Dawn’s face now. </p><p>Dawn was laughing, tears rolling down her cheeks. ‘He looks like my dad.’</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Let me know how you like the story. Silas actually predicted that Sky was Dawn's son, so awesome!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. Chapter 8</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Farah knelt down next to Dawn and softly took the woman’s hands in her own in an attempt to look her in the eyes.<br/>Instantly her mind was filled with memories that were not her own.<br/>She had not even been trying to penetrate Dawn’s mind which meant that the thoughts must be very strong to enter her mind so easily. It was as if she was seeing it through Dawn’s eyes:</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Sorry this took me so long. I rewrote this chapter three times and this is the best I could come up with. Maybe read with caution, it flashes back to the time that Dawn was a prisoner but it is not to graphic!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Dawn spent most of the afternoon staring at the picture of Sky and even though Farah was beyond curious to hear the rest of the story, she let the younger woman be. If Dawn’s story was true, Rosalind had manipulated Dawn’s life since she started Alfea. Had taken away her freedom and separated her from her child. Farah felt like she owed the woman to at least let her tell her story on her own terms.<br/>
Farah used the afternoon to wander around outside the little cabin. She foraged for some stuff that would make their stay in the mountains more pleasant. She gathered some food, even set a trap for some small game and looked for some plants with magical abilities. With the right plants, it should not be too hard to contact Ben.<br/>
Farah was not sure if she would contact Ben though. She was safe now because Rosalind thought she was dead. Nobody except Dawn knew where she was. So in the end, it all came down to one question. Did she trust Dawn?<br/>
Instinctively she did. Dawn seemed too hurt by the circumstances, she would not make it up. Dawn’s story filled in most of the gaps she had had about Rosalind’s reign. And yet, Farah was not naive. Not again. Once, she had trusted Rosalind. Had trusted Andreas. Had trusted Bloom to listen to her and not set Rosalind free.<br/>
She could not make that mistake again.</p><p>When she entered the cabin, she immediately noticed something was wrong. The cutting board with Sky’s picture lay on the ground as if it had been thrown away and Dawn was sitting in the corner, her head hidden in her arms.</p><p>‘Dawn, what’s wrong?’ Farah questioned alarmed.</p><p>‘I can’t look at him.’, Dawn almost wailed. ‘I don’t deserve it. I don’t deserve him.’</p><p>Farah knelt down next to Dawn and softly took the woman’s hands in her own in an attempt to look her in the eyes.<br/>
Instantly her mind was filled with memories that were not her own.<br/>
She had not even been trying to penetrate Dawn’s mind which meant that the thoughts must be very strong to enter her mind so easily. It was as if she was seeing it through Dawn’s eyes:</p><p>
  <em>She was in a room. She was sitting on a bed. She looked at her stomach. It was still flat. She knew she should be worried. She was pregnant by a man she did not love. A man she occasionally feared. She was held captive by Rosalind. And yet, all she could feel was joy. Joy, because she was not alone anymore. It was not just her against Andreas and Rosalind. It was her and her baby against them. For the first time in months she felt some hope again.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Rosalind had actually become nicer. She seemed really interested in the pregnancy. She still had to help her with her experiments, but afterwards Rosalind stayed with her, ate with her and made sure she was handling the nausea and all the other little ailments that came with the first trimester. And even though she rarely complied with the experiments, Rosalind still seemed happy.</em><br/>
<em>Andreas was even nicer than Rosalind. He seemed genuinely excited about the prospect of becoming a father and it made him likeable for the first time in ages. Even better, the sex had stopped. He came to visit her almost daily but he rarely stayed the night anymore. It felt so good. her body belonged to the baby now, not to him and not to Rosalind. It made her feel stronger.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Andreas was gripping her hand now and she decided to humor him as Rosalind was about to let them hear the baby’s heartbeat for the very first time.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>When the little mouth latched against her nipple, her heart swelled with the deepest love she had ever felt. It calmed her entire body and seemed to slow everything down. It was as if everything finally fell into place. She rested her head against the headboard and let some tears escape. The past 24 hours had been intense. Almost as soon as Rosalind had left for another battle trip, the contractions had started. She had been completely on her own with just an ancient book with instructions as help. And yet, she had done it. Here he was. Her son. She had done it all alone. He was hers.</em><br/>
<em>Her entire body ached. The bed was covered in bloody rags. But they were both okay. She and her son. She felt like she had not enough eyes to take it all in. His little face. His perfect fingers. His little feet. He came from her body. She was proud.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Andreas took him. Her son. Her boy. He had taken him. He had explained that the boy should live with him. Because she did not exist anymore. He had to take their son. So he could live outside of this cell. She had cried. She had wailed. Her throat was sore. It felt like the tears would never stop.</em><br/>
<em>Rosalind was there. She pulled her sobbing body in an embrace. Stroked her hair. Promised her everything would be okay. Promised her that she could see her son everyday. As long as she helped Rosalind, Rosalind would help her.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>As soon as Andreas placed the baby in her arms, her guilt vanished. So what if she had helped Rosalind with her rotten experiments. She was feeding her son now, what could be more important than that?</em>
</p><p>
  <em>She sang a lullaby for the little boy in her arms as she walked around the room. She tried to ignore her guilt but her mind kept wandering towards Astra Dell. Had they destroyed it yet? Had it burned down yet? Were there children there as well? Little boys like her son, lying in between burning buildings. The image was too much and she hurried to put down the boy as she retched in a chamber pot.</em>
</p><p>With a jolt Farah was kicked out of the memories.</p><p>Dawn was staring at her with wide eyes. ‘Did you see all that?’, she asked confused. Obviously she had not broadcast her memories on purpose, but Farah knew it happened sometimes when thoughts become too strong.</p><p>‘I did.’, Farah nodded. ‘That was you and Sky, right?’</p><p>‘Please don’t hate me.’, whispered Dawn, her eyes meeting not Farah’s.</p><p>‘Hate you?’, wondered Farah confused. ‘Your son was on the line, you did what you had to do.’</p><p>Dawn shook her head violently. ‘No, you don’t understand.’, she said almost angrily. ‘Andreas would not hurt our son. He would have never allowed that. And I knew that.’</p><p>Dawn looked almost embarrassed. ‘I just helped them because then they would let me spend time with him. I wanted to breastfeed him. Sing him songs. Cuddle him.’ She pressed her lips together. ‘There was no need. Do you understand? I just helped them because I liked spending time with my son.’</p><p>Her eyes bored into Farah’s. ‘I need you to understand this, Farah. I am guilty.’</p><p>Farah just stared at the woman, not sure how she felt.</p><p>‘That’s why I did not say anything at the trial. I did not deserve him anymore. It was my real punishment. Astra Dell burned down because I was selfish. I knew that my son would be in Saul Silva’s care. He would be safe. And I had lost him.’</p><p>Farah did not know what to say.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>How are you guys feeling about this story? Please let me know if you are still here.<br/>Love you,<br/>theWholeShebang</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0009"><h2>9. Chapter 9</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Dawn looked almost otherworldly in the soft glow of the fire. She looked beautiful.<br/>She was hyperly aware of the fact that Dawn could feel her emotions and she tried to shove them to the back of her head.<br/>Farah knew how to keep her mind closed, but with Empaths it was different. They were not tuned in to the mind, but to emotions and it was almost impossible to shield those.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I am having so much fun with the sharing the same bed trope, did not even know it was possible!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>With a jolt Farah woke up from her nightmare. She had dreamt about Astra Dell. It was the same nightmare she had had countless times over the years. The burning ruins of Astra Dell. Rosalind’s blasé reaction. The smell of burning bodies in her nose. The heat of burning buildings on her skin. The ashes stuck in her mouth. The immense guilt.<br/>
Farah shuddered.<br/>
Rain was peltering on the roof. The cabin was cold and empty and so was the bed. This was strange because when she went to sleep, Dawn had been there. Farah had not been sure if it was the best idea. But Dawn had convinced her. There was only one bed. The cabin was chilly. It made sense. So Farah had shed the outer layers of her clothing and crawled in next to Dawn’s warm body underneath the blanket. Instinctively she wanted to wrap her arms around the woman, but she had not. They had laid next to each other as Farah listened to Dawn’s breath slowing down.<br/>
She missed Dawn’s calming presence now.<br/>
Where was Dawn?<br/>
The woman had opened up to Farah, so it seemed unlikely that she would disappear now. Besides, where would Dawn go?</p><p>She found Dawn outside. Her white gown clinging to her body, her face tilted towards the sky as raindrops fell on her face. Farah shivered in the cold night air and cast a protective shield over her head as she walked towards Dawn.</p><p>‘For fuck’s sake, are you trying to get pneumonia?’, she said, startling Dawn. ‘Because we really do without more complications.’</p><p>Dawn looked at her with a small smile, her hair sticking to her face. ‘Haven’t seen rain in a long time.’, she explained.</p><p>‘So you decided to soak yourself in it in the middle of a cold night, barely dressed.’, summarised Farah drily. ‘I am not unsympathetic but we really should get you warm before you catch anything.’</p><p>‘Sixteen years in <em>tacere tectumque</em> and before that I did not have much outside time either.’ Dawn said, not able to keep the bitterness from her voice.</p><p>So that was where Rosalind kept Dawn after the trial realised Farah. <em>Tacere tectumque</em>, the same sort of magic she had kept Rosalind in for the last sixteen years.</p><p>‘How did you get out?’Farah asked intrigued, ignoring the rain around her.</p><p>Dawn shrugged. ‘The barrier just disappeared. Like all the magic had been sucked out of the school or something.</p><p>Farah nodded. ‘There was a power cut when Rosalind drained all the magic.’</p><p>‘Well that was how I got out.’</p><p>But how did you get in? Thought Farah. Why did this woman kill three Alfea students and get sentenced for life?<br/>
Dawn shuddered in her gown and Farah’s mind focused on her.</p><p>‘Let’s get you inside and all warmed up.’</p><p>She lit the fire inside with a flick of her hand and surveyed Dawn in the soft glow. ‘We need to get you dry.’</p><p>Dawn pulled her gown over her head and hung it over a chair near the fire. ‘It will be dry tomorrow.’</p><p>She turned around and Farah used some effort not to let her eyes wander the body in front of her. Dawn chuckled when she noticed.</p><p>‘By the realms, Farah. You went to Alfea right? Shared a suite with five girls and all that. How come you’re such a prude?’, Dawn wondered as she wringed out her hair.</p><p>‘I am not.’, defended Farah with a slight blush as she handed Dawn a blanket to wrap around her shivering body.<br/>
She really was not. But Dawn confused her. Or at least the ease at which Dawn handled herself around her, confused her.<br/>
She did not feel like she deserved the trust and comfort that Dawn felt around her. She did not understand why Dawn flirted with her. They barely knew each other. It was too soon to be genuine, right? Was Dawn damaged from her time with Andreas? Were they both just incredibly lonely?<br/>
And yet, Farah could not ignore the feeling in her stomach. She felt deeply connected with Dawn. Her suffering, her bravery. Her resilience. It really touched Farah.</p><p>She scraped her throat a little awkwardly. ‘I’ll make you some tea.’, she said. Glad to have a task on hand, that kept her eyes off the woman sitting on one of the wooden chairs, wrapped in a blanket with wet hair curling on her shoulders. Dawn looked almost otherworldly in the soft glow of the fire. She looked beautiful.<br/>
She was hyperly aware of the fact that Dawn could feel her emotions and she tried to shove them to the back of her head.<br/>
Farah knew how to keep her mind closed, but with Empaths it was different. They were not tuned in to the mind, but to emotions and it was almost impossible to shield those. It was also harder for Empaths not to read other people’s emotions. Farah knew how much Musa struggled with all the extra knowledge she had about the people around her.<br/>
Dawn did not seem so bothered. She just lowered the barriers around her mind and cocked an eyebrow at Farah.</p><p>‘Seems fair.’, Dawn shrugged as her feelings became more visible to Farah as well. Farah’s mind magic was mostly tuned in to memories. She could not read direct thoughts as Rosalind had. Never felt the need to hone that skill. It felt invasive. She could however feel memories that came to the surface when in a certain situation.<br/>
Right now she could feel what Dawn remembered when she looked at her. She could feel how she reminded Dawn of genuine interest. How Dawn felt truly seen by Farah. How Farah made her let her walls down for the first time in a really long time.</p><p>‘Oi,’ complained Dawn. ‘Don’t go poking around. I just lowered my barriers so you could stop feeling so embarrassed about me reading your feelings. But you don’t see me doing a deep dive into your emotions.’</p><p>Farah felt appreciative that Dawn was trying to make her feel more at ease and dropped her probing. The thoughts just lingered in between them, she could feel them, but she would not read them.</p><p>‘Right.’, she said, ignoring her dry throat. ‘Tea.’</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I am back or rather back to ignoring my studies and spending precious time on fanfiction which is actually a pretty big problem but on the bright side I wrote 3 chapters today, which I will post soon.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0010"><h2>10. Chapter 10</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>‘Now you know.’, whispered Dawn almost shyly.</p><p>‘Now I know.’, repeated Farah. She nearly wished she didn’t.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Fair warning guys, this chapter is pretty dark and mentions rape. It starts after the line, so skip that if you are not comfortable!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Farah had her back turned towards Dawn as she rummaged through the herbs she had gathered that afternoon. The air was heavy with thoughts and emotions. She picked some warming leaves and chamomile for the tea. </p><p>‘Rosalind controlled my mind.’, Dawn spoke softly. ‘When I did it.’</p><p>She had started her story quite abruptly, but Farah knew exactly what she was talking about. The murders she committed. She wanted to turn around and look Dawn in the eyes when she told her story, but instinctively she knew that Dawn would stop talking if she did.</p><p>So she forced her hands to keep plucking the leaves as she let out a soft hmm to indicate she was listening.</p><p>‘She had always been obsessed with this kind of control. The ultimate form of manipulation.’, continued Dawn. ‘After Astra Dell she became almost haunted by the idea. She knew that you were on the verge of mutiny and she also knew that she needed your power by her side.’</p><p>Farah knew that as well. Rosalind had taken control freak to a new level. She wanted to influence every aspect of everyone's life.</p><p>‘She kept working on it for days. She did not even sleep anymore. She was constantly with me, attacking my mind for hours and hours.’</p><p>Farah shuddered.</p><p>‘But she could not do it. It just did not work.’ Recalled Dawn, she sounded almost confused as if she did not understand it either.</p><p>-----</p><p>‘Andreas was there as well.  He had to hide in my chambers because you all thought that Silva had killed him. Then Rosalind left us alone. Andreas immediately came onto me. He wanted to have sex. He started touching me, undressing me.’</p><p>Farah could the air shift in the cabin. Dawn’s memories simmered in the air. She could feel some panic, some disgust but mostly disengagement. </p><p>‘I always closed my mind when we had sex. Like mentally I was not there anymore.’</p><p>Farah could tell that Dawn was crying but she did not dare move, afraid that the woman would never tell her story anymore.</p><p>‘And then suddenly, Rosalind was inside me. Inside my mind.’, Dawn’s voice was trembling. Farah could not stop herself, she turned around.</p><p>Tears streaked Dawn’s cheeks, her eyes cast down.</p><p>‘Heavens, Dawn, I am so very sorry.’, said Farah. What Andreas had done to her body, Rosalind had done to her mind. They had both raped Dawn in their own ways.</p><p>Dawn held up her palm, she was staring at the ground. ‘Please let me finish.’ It sounded like a plea and an order at the same time.</p><p>‘Rosalind was in my mind now and she needed to know how far she could push me. She sent me out, let me walk around the school. I was so angry. I was furious with Rosalind. I don’t think I have ever been that mad. She sent me to a classroom. Elle, Barry and Samuel were just there. I barely even noticed them, I was battling Rosalind in my mind. I was screaming at her. My rage broke all the windows and Rosalind was just laughing at me.’ </p><p>Farah could feel Dawn’s anger still. It seemed to linger in the air.</p><p>‘And then Rosalind seemed to leave my mind. She was still there, but she was not pushing me anymore. I just stood there, without direction but trembling with rage. Elle, Barry and Samuel were so confused. They tried to help me. They walked over to me and then suddenly Rosalind was back and she grabbed my wrath. She grabbed my wrath and turned it towards those three kids.’<br/>
Dawn sobbed.<br/>
‘When I came by Elle, Barry and Samuel were dead. Sliced up by the window shards. Rosalind had left my mind. I was myself again. I was so relieved I laughed.’</p><p>She finally looked up at Farah. She did not need to tell what happened further. Farah had been there. She had walked in on the murder scene just seconds later and had found Dawn. Covered in blood, between three bodies. Laughing like a maniac.</p><p>‘Now you know.’, whispered Dawn almost shyly. </p><p>‘Now I know.’, repeated Farah. She nearly wished she didn’t.</p><p>‘I captured Rosalind only days later. At the night of your trial actually.’, Farah confessed with some guilt. ‘I am sorry it took me so long to find the courage to turn against my mentor. Took me so long to realize that we were on the wrong path. I am sorry.’</p><p>Dawn looked at her as the magnitude of those words rolled over her. If Farah had stood up to Rosalind just a few days earlier, Barry, Elle and Samuel would still be alive. Dawn would not have spent sixteen years as a captive. Sky would have had a mother. </p><p>‘Where did you keep her?’ questioned Dawn.</p><p>‘Tacere tectumque.’ said Farah softly. </p><p>Dawn let out a bitter laugh as the irony of that became clear to her. Rosalind had met the same fate as she had and they both had spent almost the same time in entrapment.</p><p>Dawn let out a sigh and wiped her eyes.<br/>
‘Let’s drink that tea and try to catch some sleep.’, she smiled softly.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Thoughts? Feelings? Please let me know, I live for your comments.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0011"><h2>11. Chapter 11</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>‘And I don’t want to patronize you or make you feel like you are doing something wrong.’, Farah hastened to say. ‘‘I am not saying I am right. It is just, you asked me why I feel guilty and this is how I feel.’</p><p>Dawn nodded. ‘Thank you.’, she said. ‘For being honest. And for worrying about me.’</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Very short chapter, but let me know what you think!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>‘I could dry it for you.’, offered Farah with a nod towards Dawn’s white gown still hanging by the fire. </p><p>Dawn shrugged as she walked over towards the bed, still wrapped in the blanket. ‘I hate that thing. Let’s just catch some sleep.’ </p><p>Farah had no idea how late it was but at this time of year the sun came up well after eight so she figured that they could still catch a few hours of well-deserved rest. She too felt drained after their talk.</p><p>Farah hesitated when she stood next to the bed and Dawn looked at her with slight worry. </p><p>‘Why do you feel so guilty?’, she asked.</p><p>Farah let out a soft sigh. ‘I don’t think it is right for me to sleep in the same bed when I am clothed and you are almost naked.’</p><p>Dawn opened her mouth to protest but Farah beat her to it.</p><p>‘I know you don’t mind.’, she said. ‘But I am wondering if you really know how to protect your boundaries anymore. With all the control Rosalind and Andreas had over you for years, I fear you may not know anymore how to make up your own mind. Give consent.’</p><p>Dawn closed her mouth and seemed to mull Farah’s words over. </p><p>‘And I don’t want to patronize you or make you feel like you are doing something wrong.’, Farah hastened to say. ‘‘I am not saying I am right. It is just, you asked me why I feel guilty and this is how I feel.’</p><p>Dawn nodded. ‘Thank you.’, she said. ‘For being honest. And for worrying about me.’</p><p>Dawn sat down on the bed, carefully covering herself with the blanket. She looked over at Farah. </p><p>‘I think there is some truth in your words, but I am giving you a very clear boundary now. I don’t want to wear that thing’, she said with a nod to her robe. ‘It is what I wore in court and it just makes me feel trapped again.’</p><p>Farah nodded as she sat down next to her. ‘I can understand that.’<br/>
She grabbed Dawn’s hand. ‘But I would feel weird laying next to you when you are almost naked.’</p><p>‘I can understand that.’, repeated Dawn with some humor. ‘Look at us giving consent, huh?’</p><p>Farah gave a small smile as she felt her cheeks redden. ‘Don’t make fun of me.’</p><p>‘I am not. Honestly.’ Dawn gave her an earnest look. ‘But may I suggest that you take some clothing off too? To even the balance?’</p><p>Farah’s eyes swept over Dawn’s face, looking for signs of doubt in her face, she could not find them. </p><p>She nodded. ‘Suppose that could work.’, she spoke. ‘But Dawn, I can’t deny my attraction to you but I really don’t think that we should complicate matters further.’</p><p>Dawn tilted her head, her mouth pulling up in a slight smirk. ‘I disagree. I feel really good about our connection. It is clear. It doesn’t feel like a complication. I respect you, you respect me. We are on the same side. We both want to rip Rosalind to pieces. Don’t fairytales usually start like this?’</p><p>Farah let Dawn’s words sink in. ‘Let’s sleep on it.’, she compromised as she pulled her white turtleneck over her head.</p><p>Dawn laid down and respectfully looked the other way as Farah slipped out of her pants and bra and slipped underneath the blanket. </p><p>They faced each other. Farah was aware of the few inches between their naked bodies only covered by their panties.</p><p>Dawn was looking at her with a soft and confident look. ‘Come on then, I know you want to do it.’</p><p>Farah gave a small smile and pressed a kiss on the woman’s temple as Dawn cuddled up close to Farah.</p><p>‘Let’s sleep on it.’ </p><p>Farah wrapped an arm around the younger woman and closed her eyes. They would figure it out.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>comments and kudos truly make my day &lt;3</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0012"><h2>12. Chapter 12</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Dawn might be older than she looked, she still was years younger than Farah. Farah was her senior in every meaning of the word. Just like Rosalind had been hers. She knew now that it was not the base of a healthy relationship.<br/>Dawn was fully awake now as she raised herself up on her elbows. ‘Your emotions are really loud.’, she complained.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I finished another story! (which truly is a big deal for me because I find it really hard to finish things.) Thank you all for the comments and kudos. They really give me inspiration.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It seemed dark when Farah opened her eyes but then she realized that it was still raining outside making it look darker than it actually was. There were only a few embers glowing in the firepit. It was cold in the cabin but there was a warm body lying next to her.<br/>
Dawn’s head rested on her shoulder and Farah’s hand went up to the blonde hair, stroking it. Dawn looked peaceful asleep, less haunted. She looked younger as well. The barrier that Dawn was kept in, slowed down the aging process, she had seen it in Rosalind as well.<br/>
Dawn’s eyes fluttered and opened. She looked up to Farah and smiled. </p><p>‘I could get used to this.’, Dawn’s voice was hoarse from sleep as she cuddled up closer to Farah and closed her eyes again. Her arm wrapped around Farah’s stomach and Farah could feel her skin tingling underneath the touch. Farah could get used to this too.<br/>
But again doubt consumed her. Dawn might be older than she looked, she still was years younger than Farah. Farah was her senior in every meaning of the word. Just like Rosalind had been hers. She knew now that it was not the base of a healthy relationship.</p><p>Dawn was fully awake now as she raised herself up on her elbows. ‘Your emotions are really loud.’, she complained. </p><p>She lay a hand on Farah’s cheek and looked at her with worry edged on her face. ‘What is going on in that head of yours?’  </p><p>Farah took in a breath as she contemplated telling the truth. She knew she should be honest with Dawn. She was a bit scared though, because she did not like to think about the person she was with Rosalind.</p><p>‘I really like this.’, Farah started, her hand trailing up and down Dawn’s exposed back. ‘I like you. But I don’t know if I am taking advantage of you.’</p><p>Dawn listened closely, her eyebrows knitted together. ‘Why would you think that? You have been absolutely careful with me, making sure I was comfortable with every move.’</p><p>Farah swallowed and decided to open up. ‘It is Rosalind.’, she confessed.</p><p>‘Rosalind?’, repeated Dawn confused.</p><p>‘We were lovers.’, admitted Farah, playing with the ends of Dawn’s hair, just to distract herself.</p><p>‘O.’</p><p>‘It did not mean much, I think. Certainly not to Rosalind. But it was war, we were under constant pressure. We worked together. I looked up to her. Had a crush on her ever since I started Alfea. Rosalind just wanted a warm body in her bed. Another thing to hold over me. So we started this messed up relationship. I don’t want this to be like that.’</p><p>Dawn leaned on her elbows, her face inches away from her own. ‘Do you think that you are like Rosalind?’, she asked confused. </p><p>‘You have to see the similarities. The age-gap, the student-teacher relation we had, we are under pressure…’</p><p>Dawn shook her head and sat up. ‘Farah, you are so unlike Rosalind I don’t even know where to start.’</p><p>She grabbed Farah’s hand. ‘I don’t have a schoolgirl crush on you, I crushed on Vera in school to be honest. But I have always respected you.’ She shrugged. ‘And yeah, maybe the circumstances accelerated our feelings but that does not make you like Rosalind. I knew Rosalind too. She only thought about her own gain. She did not care about anything but the end result.’</p><p>Dawn tugged softly at Farah’s hand. ‘Do you think of me as just a warm body and a mind to manipulate?’</p><p>Farah shook her head resolutely as she sat up as well. ‘No.’, she said firmly. ‘Of course not.’</p><p>‘Then you are not like Rosalind.’, she promised as she carefully placed a kiss on Farah’s lips. </p><p>Before anything heated could start, Dawn pulled back and her eyes worriedly swept over Farah’s face. ‘I am so sorry Rosalind did that to you. Do you want to talk about it?’</p><p>Farah let out a nervous laugh. ‘Not really’, she admitted. ‘But I think I owe you the truth. I was wrapped around Rosalind’s finger for a long time. Too long. I should have seen the signs sooner. Should have questioned her more. And I never did. Because I knew I would see her in the night and I did not want our free hours to be filled with fighting. I wanted to please her. I wanted to have fun with her.’<br/>
Farah felt a lump in her throat. ‘And I feel like my desire to have fun, cost so much. Lives of innocents, your freedom, Astra Dell…’</p><p>Dawn’s thumbs were on her face wiping away tears. ‘It is Rosalind’s fault.’, she whispered over and over. ‘Rosalind is the bad guy.’ </p><p>She hugged Farah closer. ‘We were young, we know better now. We did not know how to push back. But now we know.’</p><p>‘Now we know.’, repeated Farah, as she felt Dawn’s fight lust almost physically.</p><p>Dawn held Farah’s head between her hands and looked intently in her eyes. ‘We are going to fight Rosalind this time, Farah. We are going to fight and we are going to win.’</p><p>Farah nodded. ‘We are.’, she agreed, feeling more confident. ‘But first I am going to take you to bed.’</p><p>Dawn let out a content sigh as she fell down on her back, pulling Farah on top of her. </p><p>‘Finally.’</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>So I you hanging there a little but I am working on a one-shot with M-rating when Farah does take Dawn to bed, I will post it this week!</p><p>Please let me know how you liked this story if you have the time &lt;3 It really inspires me when writing new stuff.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
</body>
</html>